Hello all,
I SIR’d for UChicago 2 days before receiving a waitlist acceptance letter from UCLA. I’m currently trying to decide between the two schools. From what I’ve read, the grade deflation at both is pretty bad. My plan is to major in Neuroscience B.S. if I go to UCLA and major in “Biological sciences with specialization in Neuroscience” at UChicago. I’m looking to get a PhD eventually in Neuroscience and am worried that a low GPA will prevent me from getting into good graduate programs.
Which school deflates grades more: UChicago or UCLA? If UChicago is worse, will its prestige will be a worthy enough counterbalance?
UChicago. You will be competing against smarter students in a grade deflation environment. UCLA will be hard, too, though – STEM is hard everywhere.
It may be reasonable to speculate that UChicago is “harder”, just because it is more selective and has a reputation for academic intensity. Or not. Maybe UCLA professors feel more compelled to weed out weaker students with tougher grading.
On gradeinflation.com, the latest year represented for UChicago is 2006, with a GPA average of 3.35. For the same year, UCLA’s GPA average is 3.19.
http://www.gradeinflation.com/Chicago.html
http://www.gradeinflation.com/Ucla.html
How many data samples do these numbers represent? How close are STEM GPAs to the averages?
What are the averages just for students who enter both schools with similar standardized test scores?
Anyway, if it is true that one school’s average GPAs are lower, and if this is well known among random posters on College Confidential, then don’t you think graduate program admission committees also would be aware of this and take it into account?
So why not set aside this apparently unanswerable question and choose the college that otherwise best meets your needs and preferences? For me, if cost weren’t a big factor, the most important questions would focus on the quality of undergraduate education (not only in my intended major, which might change, but overall.)
Both have very competitive environments especially in Pre-med (I am sure about UCLA first hand!). However, the good thing is that both are very well know schools to adcoms and as such the cut-throat reputations they have, ought to influence their decisions!
I think research and Phd program placement would be strengths at UChicago. Let’s say that you some how changed your mind about major, which school would you pick?